In a significant development in a federal courtroom in Chicago, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, the son of the notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, pleaded guilty to charges of drug trafficking and running the Sinaloa Cartel during his father’s imprisonment.
DEA officials revealed that at one point, the Sinaloa Cartel was responsible for about 80% of the illegal narcotics circulating in Chicago. This dominance was partly attributed to El Chapo’s strategic establishment of Chicago as a critical hub in his drug trafficking network.
As part of his plea deal, Ovidio Guzman Lopez has committed to cooperate with U.S. government investigations targeting cartel members. This cooperation is aimed at securing a reduced sentence, one that would be shorter than life in prison.
During the court proceedings, Guzman Lopez, who is often referred to as “El Raton” or The Mouse, exhibited a subdued demeanor. He described himself as suffering from depression, for which he takes daily medication.
The irony of his nickname is now highlighted by his agreement to provide testimony against the Sinaloa operations.
Arrested by Mexican authorities in 2023, Ovidio Guzman Lopez was extradited to the United States to face multiple criminal charges in Chicago.
He entered a guilty plea on four serious charges—two from an indictment in the Northern District of Illinois and two more from an indictment out of the Southern District of New York.
Federal prosecutors allege that after their father El Chapo was captured and extradited to the United States in 2016, Ovidio and his brother, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, took over a faction of the Sinaloa cartel. El Chapo is currently held in a supermax facility in Colorado.
The Guzman brothers became known as “Los Chapitos,” or “the little Chapos,” and have been implicated in a vast drug trafficking operation that imports substantial quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, and fentanyl from Mexico into the United States. The violence accompanying this operation has been described as horrific.
The Chapitos allegedly engaged in brutal tactics against their rivals, including even feeding enemies—dead or alive—to tigers, as detailed in various court documents from 2023.
To maintain their drug network, Guzman Lopez admitted to bribing Mexican officials and utilizing various modes of transportation, such as private planes, cargo carriers, cross-border tunnels, and submarines to smuggle narcotics into the U.S.
In the plea agreement, Ovidio Guzman Lopez acknowledged his role in the murders of three individuals in Mexico and Arizona, as well as incidents of kidnapping.
Michael Gannon, a former Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Chicago Division, emphasized the gravity of Guzman Lopez’s guilty plea, calling it a crucial step in holding him accountable for his actions that contributed to the fentanyl epidemic in the United States.
“Ovidio Guzman was one of the most influential people in the world for manufacturing fentanyl and poisoning our country,” Gannon stated. “So for him to be held accountable, it’s amazing that he pled guilty to these charges.”
Gannon further noted the implications of Guzman Lopez’s plea for other high-ranking cartel members, indicating, “It lets people know that those in high-ranking positions should be wary because the United States is coming for you.”
In an unexpected turn last year, Guzman Lopez’s brother, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, facilitated the arrest of another high-profile Sinaloa leader, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. Both Joaquin and Zambada have been indicted and are pleading not guilty to the serious charges against them.
Despite rumors suggesting that Joaquin’s actions were an attempt to curry favor with U.S. authorities to assist in his and Ovidio’s cases, Ovidio Guzman Lopez’s attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, clarified that such implications are unfounded, emphasizing the distinct nature of his client’s plea agreement.
Lichtman refrained from disclosing specifics regarding the extent of cooperation his client will offer to authorities.
Prosecutors made it explicit that if Guzman Lopez fails to adhere to the stipulations of his cooperation agreement, the U.S. government retains the right to withdraw its offer of a more lenient sentence.
U.S. District Judge Sharon Coleman underscored the narrow options available to Guzman Lopez for potentially withdrawing his guilty plea.
The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District of Illinois expressed satisfaction with the guilty plea, declaring that the Sinaloa cartel’s influence is waning. “With each passing day, you are seeing the sunset of the Sinaloa cartel,” stated U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Their leaders who remain free are now paranoid, distrusted and desperate.”
Currently, two of Guzman Lopez’s brothers remain at large, and the U.S. State Department has put a $10 million bounty on information leading to their capture.
When asked if the plea deal serves his client well, Lichtman replied, “I’ll let you know at the sentencing.”
Judge Coleman indicated that a sentencing date will be set in six months.
image source from：abc7chicago
